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Framerate / Soap opera effect

C

cragga

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 17, 2012
18
0
Hi

I hope someone can help, please god I hope someone can help, this is doing my head in!!...

I am running 10.3 on Mac Yosemite. I am converting a load of DVDs with Handbrake to m4v in order so I can import them into iTunes and play through Apple TV (3rd gen) and also Plex. The problem I'm getting is that when I convert a original file VIDEO_TS that is filmed in what is generally known as 'the soap opera effect' (hyper real looking), it converts and looks like the framerate as dropped to a 'movie' type effect. Now I know some people hate the soap opera effect, but to be honest I want the converted file to look exactly like the original. I'm not talking about quality, as I don't mind losing a bit if it means reducing the size of the file, but the result is totally different.

Framerate in Handbrake is set 'same as source', video codec: H.264, constant quality RF20, anamorphic: strict, filters: decomb (default).

Really hope somebody can help? I have looked at all my settings on my TV (movie mode etc.), Apple TV, BluRay, iTunes, Mac etc. the thing is i'm not sure which thing is doing it?

Thanks
 
First, let's get your terminology right and throw the "soap opera effect" term out of this convo. You have 60 FPS video that you are trying to get to play at 60 FPS on your Apple TV 3. It unfortunately does not support video playback at that frame rate. Apple TV 3 can only play 30 FPS video and that is what you are seeing on it.
 
polyh3dron said:
First, let's get your terminology right and throw the "soap opera effect" term out of this convo. You have 60 FPS video that you are trying to get to play at 60 FPS on your Apple TV 3. It unfortunately does not support video playback at that frame rate. Apple TV 3 can only play 30 FPS video and that is what you are seeing on it.
Click to expand...
Hi, thanks for that. Is this true of Plex too do you know? So basically as long as i am keeping the 'same as source' framerate in Handbrake it will keep the 60fps when converted to m4v its just that Apple TV, Plex etc. is converting it to a lower framerate?
 
cragga said:
Hi, thanks for that. Is this true of Plex too do you know? So basically as long as i am keeping the 'same as source' framerate in Handbrake it will keep the 60fps when converted to m4v its just that Apple TV, Plex etc. is converting it to a lower framerate?
Click to expand...

why not use the your tv control to set it to the "soap opera" effect?
 
Why not just save yourself a lot of time and heartbreak and just download a digital copy from a torrent site? Someone's already done all the hard work for you
 
polyh3dron said:
First, let's get your terminology right and throw the "soap opera effect" term out of this convo. You have 60 FPS video that you are trying to get to play at 60 FPS on your Apple TV 3. It unfortunately does not support video playback at that frame rate. Apple TV 3 can only play 30 FPS video and that is what you are seeing on it.
Click to expand...

The 'soap opera effect' is likely caused by a interlaced source, rather than a 60fps source. In modern parlance, a 60i source, not 60p.

The OP should ensure 'deinterlace' is toggled OFF in Handbrake and give it another try. I don't have any interlaced video to check this feature works as expected.
 
Last edited:
The 'soap opera effect' is cause by a televisions motion interpolation. Manufactures have different names for it, Samsung for example refers to it as MotionPlus 120/240hz or something like that.

The term was coined because the artificial increase in framerate gives the appearance of a soap opera which were typical shot on inexpensive cameras at an interlaced 60fps.

In my opinion the best (or worst to many) way to get this effect is to use a TV that has motion interpolation and set it to the max. I have it turned off on my TV because I can see that effect on videos I encoded via handbrake.
 
The Apple TV 3 does play 60fps videos. I watch them through YouTube on my ATV3 all the time, and I've played videos streamed from my computer through iTunes. All with the very noticeable difference.

But I don't think it's a reduced frame rate when converting that's causing the difference at all because wheeeeree would there be any DVD that's playing at 60fps? Either of what mw360 or cynics said seems to make more sense.
 
Hmmm seems several terms are being confused here. Perhaps it would be wise to look up the terms before we go further down this road.

Interlaced vs progressive - former delivers part of the image then the rest of it afterward for full image while the latter delivers to entire image at once. There is no 60i vs 60p rather typical would be 480i vs 480p etc. (as example).

Terms to look up -
As mentioned would be interlaced and progressive
Telecine (probably there is an associated setting withing Handbrake)
23.9x fps and 29.9x fps and how they are handled to create either 50hrtz or 60hrtz playback on TVs.
3:2 pull down

When the above is understood, then the conversation is much easier. After that, as one kindly mentioned, that TVs themselves do special interpolation to handle motion and that leads to the commonly called "soap opera effect."
 
phrehdd said:
Hmmm seems several terms are being confused here. Perhaps it would be wise to look up the terms before we go further down this road.

Interlaced vs progressive - former delivers part of the image then the rest of it afterward for full image while the latter delivers to entire image at once. There is no 60i vs 60p rather typical would be 480i vs 480p etc. (as example).

Terms to look up -
As mentioned would be interlaced and progressive
Telecine (probably there is an associated setting withing Handbrake)
23.9x fps and 29.9x fps and how they are handled to create either 50hrtz or 60hrtz playback on TVs.
3:2 pull down

When the above is understood, then the conversation is much easier. After that, as one kindly mentioned, that TVs themselves do special interpolation to handle motion and that leads to the commonly called "soap opera effect."
Click to expand...

I think you are overcomplicating matters. OP doesn't need a degree in this. He/she has an interlaced picture on a DVD and wants to keep it interlaced after conversion. Unchecking the 'deinterlace' option in Handbrake should solve his/her problem.
 
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